This invention relates to a method of twisting the conductors of one or more electrical wires, particularly when the conductors are multi-stranded, by means of a wire twister.
A wire twister is known for assembly with a rotary drive unit. The known twister comprises two plates which are in contact along one edge that is disposed perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the twister. The plates are disposed so that they extend away from the said edge at an angle to the axis of rotation, to define a space between the plates which, when viewed in lateral cross-section, is triangular. In use, the stripped conductors of electrical wires are inserted between the plates. The wire twister is caused to turn at speeds of up to about 3400 revolutions per minute (RPM), and friction between the rotating plates and the inserted conductors causes the conductors to twist with one another. Such a wire twister is sold by the Carpenter Manufacturing Company Limited of Manluis, NY 13104, USA, under the trade name Model 25C Rotary Wire Twister.
The high speed with which the known wire twister rotates makes it difficult to control the amount of twist that is imparted to the conductors, with the result that the helix angle of the wound conductors is undesirably large. (The helix angle is the angle between a tangent to the helix and the axis of the helix). A large helix angle is undesirable since the free ends of the twisted conductors have an increased tendency to splay outwardly. This can make more difficult the insertion of the twisted conductors into an aperture.